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Rose and Danni stood by the foot of the library ladder, Danni holding a pile of books the Doctor had passed them for Rose as Rose flicked through them. Well, more like chucked at Danni but it was neither here nor there. Danni actually had very little recognition of this episode, although as with all things her memories of most episodes were starting to fade. Little pieces of information that she would have known when she'd first landed, like someone's name or species, had just disappeared, replaced by the newer memories of this universe. Sometimes it frustrated her to not be as helpful as she once was, but she was starting to experience more and more unknowns and that she loved. Plus, she'd learnt a long time ago to not give this Doctor hints, he hated the fact that she knew more than him. And the mood he was in, it was best not to get on his bad side whilst they were hiding from a 'werewolf'.
"Biology, zoology..." Rose listed as she discarded one book and opened the next, "there might be something on wolves in here..." Danni slammed her own book shut, chucking to the floor.
"What about Medieval folklore?" She called, "They may have been here for centuries?" The Doctor, who was scanning titles and dismissing them as he went along, pulled out another book and quickly passed it to Rose.
"Maybe not." He snapped, reaching for one particular book, "Hold on, what about this?" She caught it one-handed and placed it at the top of Danni's pile.
"... some form of explosive..." Sir Robert suggested, flipping through one of his late father's scientific journals he'd saved over the years. The Doctor, who had pulled out his own book, nodded as he quickly scanned through all the pages.
"Hmm, that's the sort of thing. Ooh..." He paused on a page, it immediately taking his interest. He jumped down from the ladder and over to a table, the other three following him. He laid it out and pointed to an illustration of a meteorite falling into a landscape, "Look what your old dad found. Something fell to Earth."
"A spaceship?" Rose suggested but Sir Robert shook his head.
"A shooting star." He corrected, reading from the description under the illustration, "'In the year of our Lord, 1540, under the reign of King James the Fifth, an almighty fire did burn in the pit.' That's the Glen of Saint Catherine just by the Monastery."
"But that's over three hundred years ago. What's it been waiting for?" Rose asked, confused. She turned to Danni, who just shrugged, having no idea herself. Rose was always quick to think that she had all the answers, much like the younger Amy did. Somehow, although there were so many times she didn't have any clue of what was happening, Rose never lost that sheer belief she had in the ginger girl. If Danni hadn't thought her faith completely unfounded she would have thought it cute.
"Maybe just a single cell survived." The Doctor offered, "Adapting slowly down the generations. It survived through the humans. Host after host after host."
"But why does it want the throne?" Sir Robert asked, shooting a glance at the Queen, who had been sat majestically in a chair as they'd rushed around. Whilst quite capable of looking after herself, she did have other people to do that for her.
"That's what it wants." Rose interjected, "It said so, the... the Empire of the Wolf." The Doctor paused, looking thoughtfully into the distance.
"Imagine it... the Victorian Age accelerated... starships and missiles fuelled by coal and driven by steam... leaving history devastated in its wake..." He mused darkly. The Queen, disturbed by the talk of extra terrestrials and murderous wolves, stood up, pulling all their attentions to her.
"Sir Robert!" He strode over, "If I am to die here..."
"Don't say that, Your Majesty." He begged her and she offered him a grave smile in return.
"I would destroy myself rather than let that creature infect me." She boldly admitted, "But that's no matter. I ask only that you find some place of safekeeping for something far older and more precious than myself."
"Hardly the time to worry about your valuables." The Doctor scoffed and she regarded him coldly.
"Thank you for your opinion. But there is nothing more valuable than this."
"Please don't sell yourself short, Your Majesty." Danni told her, "There is nothing on this Earth more precious than a life." The Queen smiled softly at the red-headed child, in a state of undress only slightly more modest than the Rose girl. She could see something in her eyes, a deep sense of loss and regret, that she herself had mirrored since the loss of her husband and it made her sympathetic. That and the cruel way this 'Doctor' seemed to be treating her, giving her yet another reason to be distrustful of him.
"This is." She replied, reaching into her bag and pulling out a large diamond, cut into a typical diamond shape, glistening in the moonlight. Danni's mouth fell open slightly at the sheer size of it
"Is that the Koh-I-Noor?" Rose asked in shock as she and the Doctor stepped slowly towards the Queen.
"Oh, yes..." The Doctor replied lowly, "the greatest diamond in the world."
"Given to me as the spoils of war." The Queen explained, "Perhaps its legend is now coming true. It is said that whoever owns it must surely die."
"Well, that's true of anything if you own it long enough." The Doctor dismissed before holding his hand out to her, "Can I...?" She looked him over calculatingly then handed the precious stone to him. He immediately turned to Rose, the pair huddling together and he twisted the diamond to make in shine.
"That is so beautiful." He remarked.
"How much is that worth?" Rose asked and he shot her a smile.
"They say... the wages of the entire planet for a whole week." She whistled lowly at that.
"Good job my mum's not here." Rose commented, "She'd be fighting the wolf off with her bare hands for that thing."
"And she'd win." The Doctor retorted. At the mention of the wolf, Sir Robert shot a look at the barricade.
"Where is the wolf? I don't trust this silence." He told them, walking over to check it's stability.
"Rose?" Danni called, pulling the blonde's attention to her much to the Doctor's displeasure, "When's the last time you spoke to your mum?" Rose shrugged.
"A couple of days before we came here." She replied before smiling, "Oh yeah, she told me to tell you Lisa has almost got her sight back in one eye." This caused Danni to properly smile and Rose to grin back. Lisa was the name the Controller had chosen. At first Jackie had been completely resistant to the idea, but when the Doctor had led the neglected girl into the flat, her mothering instinct had set in and she had immediately changed her mind. The Controller had chosen the name 'Lisa' herself, from the Simpsons, which was the first television show she actually had watched rather than had streamed through her brain. Danni was always checking up on her whenever she turned up.
"Why do you travel with it?" The Doctor asked the Queen as regarded the diamond.
"My annual pilgrimage." She explained. I'm taking it to Helier and Carew. The Royal Jewellers at Hazelhead. The stone needs recutting."
"Oh, but it's perfect." Rose exclaimed with a frown and the Queen smiled fondly.
"My late husband never thought so." She replied. The Doctor nodded, turning to Rose.
"Now, there's a fact - Prince Albert kept on having the Koh-I-Noor cut down. It used to be forty percent bigger than this. But he was never happy. Kept on cutting and cutting." He rambled off, talking about it as if it was a fact in a textbook, rather than the woman's husband. If the Queen noticed, however, she made no move to be outwardly offended, but Danni was acutely aware. It was something he improved on marginally as the years went on, started realising more and more that there were people behind the stories, although occasionally even Eleven would fall into the habit of being so excited over sharing his knowledge that he would forget that the person in question was right there.
"He always said... the shine was not quite right. But he died with it still unfinished." The Queen replied quietly, a sad sheen to her eyes.
"Unfinished..." The Doctor repeated, that look on his face that told everyone who knew him something had sprung into his mind, "Oh, yes!" He tossed the diamond back to the Queen, who caught it, "There's a lot of unfinished business in this house. His father's research - your husband, Ma'am, he came here and he sought the perfect diamond," He began pacing, speaking faster and faster as he worked through the idea that had popped into his head, "hold on, hold on - all these separate things, they're not separate at all, they're connected! Oh, my head, my head! What if - this house, it's a trap for you - is that right, Ma'am?" He asked the Queen, who was suddenly regarding him with some concern.
"Obviously." She replied and he shook his head, running both hands through his hair.
"At least, that's what the wolf intended. But! What if there's a trap inside the trap?" He suggested.
"Explain yourself, Doctor." She demanded.
"What if his father and your husband weren't just telling each other stories. They dared to imagine all this was true. And they planned against it. Laying the real trap not for you... but for the wolf." Danni groaned, remembering what was happening as plaster fell from the ceiling. The Doctor, wide-eyed, joined her in looking upwards at the ceiling. There was a giant glass skylight, where the wolf was perched, growling menacingly, "That wolf there…" The glass under it's foot began cracking and the Doctor sprung into action, "Out! Out! Out!" He cried and they all turned, running to the door. Piece by piece they all broke down the barrier to the door, including the Queen, and the Doctor ushered her out first. Sir Richard and Rose quickly followed on her heels and the Doctor grabbed the doors, pulling them closed with a slam. Danni hesitated, waiting for him despite his attitude, it had never changed her feelings for him and she wasn't about to let him get eaten if she had any chance of saving him. He shot her a dark look, as if mocking her for thinking he'd want her to wait, then they followed the trio, catching up relatively easy.
"Gotta get to the observatory!" The Doctor exclaimed, taking over the lead with his long strides and Rose fell to the back with Danni. As they skidded around the corner it became quickly apparent that the wolf has escaped and was on their trailed. Rose caught sight of it and froze in terror. It reared up in front of her, roaring and she screamed. Danni grabbed her, chucking her behind her on the floor just as Lady Isobel appeared, chucking a boiling pan of water on it. The wolf roared in pain, falling back onto all fours and running away before another attack could occur.
"Good shot!" The Doctor exclaimed and she nodded.
"It was mistletoe!" The Lady explained. The Doctor, Rose and Danni followed the wolf to the end of the corridor, trying to see where it had run off to but none of them could spot it. They rejoined as Sir Robert sending his wife with the maids, including Flora Danni was relieved to notice, back to the kitchen. The Doctor patted the man on the arm as he ran off.
"Come on!" He commanded and the group set off again.
"The observatory's this way!" Sir Robert explained as they reached a staircase. The Doctor motioned him to go first, then Rose and the Queen, before stepping in front of Danni, who rolled her eyes but joined the rear. As they reached the top, she yelped and skidded to the floor again. Seriously, her balance was bad at the best of times, with her hands still bound by tight cuffs it was near impossible to keep her footing on anything but a flat floor. Sir Robert led the Queen and Rose into the observatory but the Doctor stopped, watching Danni scramble up with some difficulty, a sneer on his face.
"Always holding everything up, aren't you?" He retorted and Danni felt her fingers tense, something inside her snapping.
"Well, you didn't have to wait for me, did you?" She snapped in reply, "Or you could do what you did for everyone else, and remove these bloody handcuffs!"
"Why should I?" He asked, "I thought Danielle Fielding had everything worked out, always knew what was going on and always found a way out." She stared at him, incediously.
"What the hell gave you that idea?" She shouted, her voice squeeking at the sound of a far-off howl, "You know, you could try and be a bit more understanding." His eyebrows shot up into his hair.
"Understanding?" He exclaimed, "I think I've been more than bloody understanding. I've trusted you in the past, haven't I? And where did that get me, eh? I had to regenerate!"
"Look, I explained that! Rose had to do it, otherwise the whole universe might have been taken over by Daleks!" She screamed, "You know, I'm so exhausted with your bloody mood changes! One minute you're lovely, next your an absolute dickhead! Either suck it up and shut up, I don't care which but I don't want you talking to me like that anymore!" The Doctor's mouth fell open in outrage.
"Excuse me?" He asked dangerously quietly, "You know, it is my TARDIS that you call home, I can take it away just as easily?"
"Your TARDIS?" She repeated, wishing once again she could place her hands on her hips, "Do you have any idea how childish you sound?"
"Childish?" He exclaimed, "I'm childish?" She nodded.
"Yes, you are." She replied, "When are you just going to accept that I'm going to be here for a long time, and there is nothing you can do about it? Because, trust me, if I could stop jumping around you'd never see me again!"
"Don't tell me what to do." He grabbed her by the arm and began dragging her down the hallway, glancing at each door until he paused, grinning evilly, "If you're so desperate to get away, here!" He opened the door and forcefully chucked her in. She yelled, hitting the wall of the cupboard as he slammed the door shut, bathing in her darkness. The sonic went off on the other side and she began banging on the door.
"Let me out, you prick!" She screamed, banging as hard as she could, but there was no answer. The slamming of another door proved to her he'd left her behind. She turned, trying to see a wall, or something as the darkness began closing in on her. Her chest tightened as a wave of terror washed over her and she felt herself began to panic. Why did it have to be the dark? Why not outside, or at least in a time with electricity, or a candle maybe. She reached one of her shaking hands into her pockets and pulled out her phone, ready to ring Rose to get her out. Then there was a howl, a closer howl than before and she realised just exactly what he'd done. Whether he realised it or not, and even though he was furious she doubted he did, he'd left her to the mercy of the werewolf. She started her panicking anew, shaking the handle wildly.
"Doctor, let me out! Let me out!" She screamed, tears in her eyes. Oh God, she was going to get eaten by a bloody werewolf! This couldn't be happening, she silently begged as she knocked harder, "Please, I'm sorry! Let me out, let me out!" The wolf howled again, this time she knew it was closing in on her. It was too late, but she shook the door handle harder and harder, before she began chucking herself at it. The force jarred her shoulder painfully, but she pulled back and threw herself at it again. The door shook, but it didn't budge. Her small stature was nothing against the heavy wood the house was full of. She was going to die, wasn't she? A sob broke from her throat as she tried again and again. She had to get out, she couldn't just stand there and wait to be ripped to shreds.
She sobbed in relief as her arm began to burn, never would she have thought that she would be so happy to feel that tell-tale sign. The force of the transport hit her stomach, throwing her back into another wall. She groaned in pain, squeezing her eyes shut as she rubbed her shoulder. When she opened them, her mouth dropped. It was still pitch black. She reached out in front of her, there was a wall? Had she not moved? What was happening? Was the wolf coming. She spun around, trying to find the door but there was nothing. She started trembling, the pit in her stomach ever growing and she decided to just bang on the wall.
"Doctor, please! Let me out, let me out, let me out!" She screamed. Something grabbed her arm and she screamed as it pulled her into a crouching position, yanking her out of whatever hellhole she'd been trapped in. There, grinning down at her, was an incredibly sooty Eleven with the hugest grin on his face, his hair a mess.
"Chimney, Christmas." He told her as an explanation, frowning at the look of terror and relief that she seemed to be conflicting in her head. She then chucked her arms around him, buring her face in his chest as she sobbed. He wrapped his arms around her, shushing her gently, "Hey, it's okay." She pulled back, the tears joined with a furious look his winced at before she justified it.
"You left me to be eaten by a bloody werewolf!" She screamed, smacking him hard.
"Ow!" He cried, rubbing his arm with a pout, "When was that?"
"In Scotland! Queen Victoria, remember?" The guilty look on his face said that he very much remembered that.
"Oops." He muttered and she smacked him again.
"'Oops'? You left me to die, and all I get it bloody 'oops'?!"
"I have no idea what is happening, but it is all incredibly dull." A voice drawled and she looked around the Doctor to see an old man wearing a very fine suit, with a can and a family who looked significantly less well-off than he did. There was a large metal box just off to the side.
"Oh, I know what this is." She whispered; A Christmas Carol. She smiled to herself, fish in the fog. Much more preferable than a werewolf.
"Get them out of here." Kazran, she couldn't help but smile as she remembered his name, commanded, "And next time, try and find me some funny poor people." Two of his butlers grabbed the two, the Doctor protesting at them manhandling Danni as they were pushed towards the family, who were being given the same treatment. The little boy dodged the attempts, dashing under the arms of the men and picking up a piece of coal, he hurled it at the mean old man. It hit him on the head, causing Kazran to see red and storm over, hand raised to strike him.
"No, stop, don't!" The Doctor exclaimed.
"Let him alone!" Danni yelled angrily.
"Don't you dare! You leave him!" The father joined in as Kazran paused, hand raised as he looked the terrifed little boy. He lowered his hand and turned to his staff.
"Get him out of here! Get that foul-smelling family out of here! Out!" He screamed and the family was dragged out. He snarled to himself, striding back to his chair when he spotted the Doctor and Danni still there, the Doctor's arms wrapped protectively around Danni, "What? What do you want?"
"A simple life with Danni." The Doctor answered automatically, "But you didn't hit the boy."
"Of course he didn't." Danni replied gently, "He's not a monster."
"Don't presume to know me." Kazran snarled, "I will next time!" The Doctor shook his head, letting his arms drop.
"No, you see, you won't. Now why?" He walked up to Kazran, looking at him quizzically, "What am I missing?" He looked back over a Danni and she smiled with a good-natured roll of her eyes.
"It's the painting, dear." She offered and he turned back, spotting the painting of an older man who looked incredibly similar to Kazran.
"Thank you, Danni-Girl." He retorted.
"What are you two on about?" Kazran snapped and the Doctor nodded to the painting, "There's a portrait on the wall behind me. Looks like you, but it's too old, so it's your father. All the chairs are angled away from it. Daddy's been dead for 20 years. But you still can't get comfortable where he can see you. There's a Christmas tree in the painting, but none in this house, on Christmas Eve. You're scared of him and you're scared of being like him. And good for you, you're not like him, not really. Do you know why?" The Doctor reeled off quickly, Kazran almost memorised by the quickness he was speaking at.
"Why?" Kazran whispered and the Doctor leant in closer.
"Because you didn't hit the boy. Merry Christmas, Mr Sardick." Kazran's face contorted in anger."
"I despise Christmas!" He shouted, trying to frighten the Doctor but he just shrugged before walking away.
"You shouldn't. It's very you." He told the man, wrapping an arm around Danni's waist and leading her towards the door.
"It's what? What do you mean?" Kazran called after them. The Doctor paused, looking over his shoulder.
"Halfway out of the dark." He lead Danni passed the servants, and out of the grand building. She leant on his arm.
"Christmas, eh?" She asked him, "The most wonderful time of the year. I do love it." He placed a kiss on her hair.
"I know." He told her, "But not yet, we have Ponds to save."